


Protocol

by madaliz



Series: Shadow & Red Sun Series (KnB Superhero AU) [3]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-02
Packaged: 2018-02-23 19:52:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2553515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madaliz/pseuds/madaliz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kise's a terrible subordinate, but he's also a damn good operative. Sometimes Kasamatsu wonders if he's worth it, (most of the time, his answer is no). But even though their relationship has been rocky from the start, somehow it looks like things are only going to get better. Maybe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protocol

**Author's Note:**

> [note: it's probably best to read the previous one shot in this series to understand the setting better]
> 
> I'm just kinda writing what I feel like writing for this series lol, maybe someday I'll write a long-ish fic related to the plot I have in mind but today is not that day (instead we have here Kasamatsu complaining about Kise).

“ _Working with an ex-Miracle shouldn't be this tiring.”_ Yukio Kasamatsu tells himself, as Ryouta Kise cuts all communications with their command center yet _**again**_.

You would think that a former member of a team headed by the famously very strict Seijuurou Akashi would have more respect for protocol than this, but apparently Kise just does. not. care. _**At all**_. And it is _**infuriating**_.

Kasamatsu suspects, that aside from his lack of any real respect for most people who aren't A Level metas, Kise's habit of side-stepping regulation is born purely out of a ridiculous desire to be James Bond.

“I'm joining this team because it will be exciting.” Kise had written on his application form.

Notice the wording. “ _ **I'm**_ joining this team because it _**will**_ be exciting.”

Kasamatsu remembers double-taking, reading it twice, feeling completely taken aback when he realized that yes, that is indeed what Ryouta Kise had written.

Typically (and Kasamatsu bases this on the countless application forms he's had to read over the years), people would phrase such a remark as “I _**hope**_ it will be exciting” or “I _**think**_ it will be exciting” or even “I am _**sure**_ it will be exciting”. There is always (and rightly so Kasamatsu has always thought) an air of hesitance, of restraint. An unwritten question mark or lightly embellished truth. One gets the feeling from such applications that yes, this person is respectful and will be easy to work with (or at least, said person will _**act**_ respectful to the best of their abilities).

Kise's phrasing is free of hesitation. He uses “I'm” instead of the more formal “I am”, says “It _**will**_ be exciting”as if he were a seer who could see into the future in lucid detail. There was, to Kasamatsu, an infuriating amount of entitlement in his tone. Upon reading his words you are instantly left with the impression that he, without a doubt, knows that filling up such a form is nothing but a mere formality (for how foolish would a government organization have to be to refrain from enlisting a former Miracle – well, Kasamatsu thinks, looking back at the past six months of missions with Kise, perhaps they would not be so foolish after all).

Immediately after reading his application form, Kasamatsu could tell that this new recruit would be prone to insubordination. And, unfortunately, he was completely right.

He had approved the application of course, since at the time the prospect of adding an A Level meta to their ranks was simply too hard to resist. But now, he wishes, that he'd reconsidered.

True, Kise has yet to fail anything he has undertaken. But he has also intentionally disobeyed orders time and time again. He often speaks to Kasamatsu in a condescending tone and constantly improvises instead of sticking to the agreed upon plan. He is in short, as terrible a subordinate as he is an amazing operative. Most days Kasamatsu wonders if the trade off is worth it.

He sits at his desk for a good thirty minutes, contemplating this question and staring at his computer screen and the dead line that should have been Kise's communication channel. He is so absorbed in his annoyance that when the very object of his ire zooms into the room, he almost doesn't notice.

“Sorry I'm late senpai.” says Kise, sounding not at all sorry and smiling much too cheerfully “I met with an old friend and we had a bit of a talk.”

“What's wrong with your nose?” is the first thing Kasamatsu says instead of just exploding at him, like he really should.

“You don't like it?” Kise frowns “Don't you think it adds character to my face?”

“It's stupid.” Kasamatsu snaps “And how many times do I have to tell you that you need to keep your communicator on _**at all times**_? Is that too much for you to comprehend? Are all A Levels this incapable of processing information?”

“You're being mean senpai.” Kise sniffs, shedding a few obviously fake tears “It was an emergency, I needed some privacy.”

“ _ **Privacy**_.” Kasamatsu hunches over his desk and smacks his forehead “Incredible. Sometimes I wonder why I even hired you.”

“You're not seriously implying that you're considering firing me?” Kise asks laughingly “No offense senpai, but I do better work than all the operatives here.”

Kasamatsu grits his teeth. “Listen here _**Apollo**_ , I know that inside that head of yours you think you're better than all of us and some sort of James Bond or _**whatever**_ , and I also know, because everyone knows, that the Miracles were a big goddamn deal and you guys did a lot for this country but this is a _**team**_ of _**covert operatives**_ do you understand what that means?”

“I don't need –”

“ _ **NO,**_ clearly you _**don't**_ and while I've been mistakenly feeding your ego by giving you one man jobs, you've been getting worse and worse at being a team player. A Level or not there are some jobs that you just can't do alone unless you can be at two or three places at once. Which, I get it, theoretically, you could, but if there's a meta out there who can _**always**_ be in two places at ones then why the hell would I even need _**you**_? If you can't follow orders, if you can't play your part on this _**team**_ then yes, I _**will**_ fire you. Your powers may be stronger than ours but everyone on this team has been doing this a hell of a lot longer than you have.”

Kasamatsu clears his through, flushing a little bit, from his own outburst.

Surprisingly, Kise doesn't seem angry or even annoyed at being scolded like this. Instead, bafflingly, and perhaps a bit alarmingly, he looks at Kasamatsu as if he's seeing him for the first time. There's an unmistakeable spark of curiosity in his eyes, and the edge of his lips twitches as if struggling to not grin too widely. A part of Kasamatsu feels like he's being mocked, but another part, the thinking part, knows that Kise is mostly just _**intrigued**_. (Which, in another way, is also quite insulting really.)

“So,” Kasamatsu says after a heavy pause “do we have an understanding?”

Kise nods, absently, in a way that tells Kasamatsu that they might not really have an understanding at all. Suddenly Kise's face begins to shift, scars disappearing, nose snapping back straight, and then after that, the rest of him follows. He remains in his suit, but slowly he starts glittering gold and Kasamatsu can't help but tilt his head back a little in shock. Kise has an annoying habit of brandishing his true form to intimidate others (he would often do it half-naked in fact) but he has never presented his golden skin quite like this.

Normally, he exaggerates, makes his skin look brighter than it actually is. Kasamatsu knows this from his file, and from the interestingly not very detailed account of his abilities by Seijuurou Akashi (relatively less detailed that is, compared to the hundred page volumes dedicated to the powers of the other members of the Miracles).

But this, the way he is presenting himself now, this subdued gold comparable to weathered but still magnificent ancient treasures found in tombs of kings from centuries long gone..... This was not his usual boasting. Kasamatsu wonders if it's his way of acknowledging him, of showing respect. Or, perhaps, this is his way of extending his trust (if so then he's being pompous again and Kasamatsu might just kick him).

“Your concerns are...duly noted senpai.” Kise says softly.

“ _ **This kid.** ” _Kasamatsu thinks, rolling his eyes. “I should smack you.” he says “I really should.”

Kise smiles at him because he's a bastard and because he knows it's against the rules and that Kasamatsu won't actually smack him, at least not while they're at work.

“I expect your report on today's mission to be here on my desk when I come in tomorrow. If it's late I won't give you any missions for a _**week**_.”

“But senpai I need my beauty sleep.” Kise whines, although the smile remains on his face.

“As if you need that.”

“Are you saying I'm already beautiful senpai?”

“Just get out of my office Agent Apollo.” Kasamatsu snaps.

Kise giggles, _**giggles**_ , as he salutes and steps out of the office. 

Rubbing his forehead in an effort to ease his frustration, Kasamatsu thinks, that it really shouldn't be this goddamn tiring.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> (1) Kasamatsu's powers: Kasamatsu's a B Level meta, as Kise mentioned in the previous one shot ("Enter Apollo") he's a speedster. Think, The Flash, only without their full spectrum of powers (so... maybe he's more like Quicksilver (Avengers/X-men) or Northstar (X-Men) haha).
> 
> (2) "team of covert operatives" --- OK lol thinking back "covert operatives" is kinda redundant isn't it. Maybe I'll change that when I edit this another time. Anyway. As you might have guessed this team is Kaijou (and is named Kaijou in-universe). Basically they're just an organization of secret agents who are metas (... it's kinda like Secret Avengers thinking about it now, except not, because they're working FOR the government and not against it hahaha).


End file.
